Weeks one to two following a Gastric Band Insertion During the first two weeks after surgery it is not unusual to feel tired following the anaesthetic and surgery. Its important to continue to gently mobilise start to take small, short walks, do not do any heavy lifting, and confine yourself to a liquid diet that you will have discussed with your dietician so as not to over stretch the pouch. You should aim to consume four liquid meals a day and take a multi vitamin. In between meals you will also need to ensure you take fluids to remain hydrated. Avoid any sugary and carbonated drinks and aim for at least a litre a day. Constipation can be a problem as a liquid diet does not contain much fibre so you may also need a non-fibre laxative such as syrup of figs or lactulose to help relieve any symptoms. Weeks two to four following Gastric Band Surgery You can return to work after two weeks and drive as soon as you feel comfortable doing an emergency stop. Continue to avoid doing any heavy lifting. Exercise is important so start to take longer walks, go swimming, gentle yoga or pilates. In terms of your diet you should have started the transition from a liquid diet to smooth pureed foods and aim to consume a ramekin size portion four times a day as well as taking your multi vitamin. It is important between meals that you drink plenty. So, as you don’t feel over full when you eat it is advisable that you drink in between meals and set yourself target of eating, then drinking at timely intervals so as not to feel over full at any one time. Don’t eat quickly as you progress on to more solid foods make sure you chew all your food thoroughly and slowly. Once you feel full you must stop eating. Weeks five to eight following gastric band insertion By this stage you should be progressing from soft pureed foods to soft foods such as flaky fish, scrambled eggs, soft fruits, and cereals. At this stage depending on the amount of restriction you are feeling an adjustment can be made to the gastric band. This involves fluid being inserted into the filling port where it exits on to the skins surface. Initially after a gastric band adjustment you are likely to feel further restriction on the amount of food you can consume and some food may be more difficult to eat so it is important to always take things slowly with your food intake, chewing food thoroughly and drinking in between food intake. Occasionally if the gastric band adjustment causes too much restriction you may have vomiting and need some of the fluid removed. Every individual is different and getting the correct restriction for you can sometimes take one or two refills or removal of fluid to reach the optimum restriction levels for an individual to lose weight. Some foods can be problematic at the beginning particularly those with a high fibre content, while this may be an issue at the beginning you can and should retry them in small quantities later. Over time the gastric band pouch can stretch, and you are very likely to need further gastric band adjustments. You must work with your gastric band and make the right permanent food choices to lose weight and avoid high calorie foods. If you overeat with a gastric band, it will inevitably stretch the pouch, causing discomfort and potentially nausea and vomiting. Overeating can also cause complications such as a build up of undigested food getting stuck, dehydration and vomiting, which could result in hospitalisation.